The Prince and His Dolphin
by SemperVenice
Summary: Kakashi is an adventurous prince sailing the seas. On one trip he comes upon an island where he meets Iruka, a man who can speak to dolphins. Mild KakaIru for now, will be heavier later.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"LAND HO!!" Kakashi yelled, spotting the green landmass with his telescope. Far, far away on the horizon, an island could be seen; giving Prince Kakashi a feeling of excitement as he recklessly swung down from the crow's nest and ran to his cabin. His hands grabbed his belonging, stuffing them unceremoniously into his pack as he prepared to explore the island.

They had been at sea for over two weeks now without a thing in sight. The days had drifted by in a manner that reminded him of molasses on a cold day; in other words, painfully slow.

These explorative voyages served two purposes. One: to explore the vast and diverse world that held so many wonderful secrets. Kakashi loved secrets. And two: to royally piss off his father, King Sakumo, for trying to restrict his son's life. Luckily his uncle, Duke Jiraiya, had interfered on Kakashi's behalf, encouraging Sakumo to let the boy explore. After all kings were supposed to have knowledge of the world around them, let the boy gain some knowledge.

Kakashi smiled, remembering that before his ship had cast off, Jiraiya had handed him a small orange book with a dramatically graphic scene on the cover. The old Duke had just winked and whispered, "More knowledge."

Years had passed since that first voyage, Kakashi had traveled far and wide, but there was still so much to see in the world. The time spent at home was filled with his father's insistence upon marrying a princess and his advisors' attempts to civilize him with the impossible politics of the Court. But the young Prince didn't want any part of that. The court was full of nothing but bootlicking pretenders and princesses had cooties. Besides twenty-four was far too young to be married. Far too young.

_I don't think I could stand being married to some cootie-licious snot nosed beauty with a rock for a brain. Hmm… A normal lifespan is somewhere around 70-80 years, so I expect I'll get married around 50 or maybe even 60. That way I'll have less life spent actually being married. Hopefully I'll die post-orgasm in my old age. Yes, that's how I'd like to go out. Post-orgasm…. Hmm._

As the island drew closer, Kakashi grew antsy, ready to be off the ship and deep in some foreign tropical forest exploring to his heart's content. His mind already imagined the scenery; the way the trees blew in the wind, the scent of the breeze, vibrant flowers, and crystal clear shallows. Finished packing, he returned to the deck, tossing his pack into the rowboat. He was ready to go.

Iruka furrowed his brow at the thing on the ocean's horizon. It was faint but growing more defined as it neared the island.

"_People are on that thing, you say?" _ He asked the dolphin, who had pulled itself as close to the beach as possible without leaving the cool waters.

_Yes,_ it said.

Thoughts flew through the little man's mind. _What are those people doing? Who are they? _

"_Keep an eye on them."_ He told the dolphin, who squeaked in reply and swam back into deeper waters.

Walking back into the forest, Iruka wondered if he should warn the Rain Village. They should know about the strangers, but Iruka doubted they would welcome him and his news. After the last time he visited the village, the little man wasn't sure he'd ever want to go back.

"_There's a storm coming!! You have to get to higher ground." Iruka yelled to those gathered around him. Desperately he spun around, searching for someone who would heed his advice and be saved. _

"_What storm? It's been beautiful for days." Someone called out from the crowd. _

_The little island man paused for a moment. Should he tell them exactly how he found out? The villagers already disapproved of Iruka's odd talent for talking to animals. And for him to tell them that the animals had warned him of the upcoming storm would only bring out the worst in them. However no decent lie came to mind. _

"_The animals," he said quietly almost to himself. "The animals told me. They feel a sort of—disturbance, an imbalance in the air. Something's brewing in the sea."_

_A chorus of laughs broke out throughout the crowd. Several jeering voices reached his ears, "Crazy hermit", "Go live with the fishes, fool!" and "Hey Iruka, tell me what my pussy's telling you right now!!"_

"_I'm telling you the truth!!" Nothing he said would ever get through to these people, no matter how hard he tried. "Fine. Stay here; when the storm comes I hope it ravages this place. I've given you fair warning." The words just poured out along with the little man's frustrations. Pushing himself through the crowd and past the jeering calls, Iruka made his way out of the village. _

_The path in front of him led to the huge tree house he called home. There were things he needed before he made his way further inland on the island to a heavily sheltered cave on high ground --mostly provisions and various other valuable things that could easily be transported. _

_Giving one final glance toward the village, Iruka prayed. "Please let them make it through this. Please let the storm miss us. After all the ocean's a wide open place, the storm could have plenty of other places to go."_

_But whatever god answered his prayer was not a kind one. Sure enough a few days later, the sky turned a deep, deep gloomy grey, foretelling the imminent storm. Winds swept through the forest, whipping branches and limbs to and fro, even tearing some from the trees. Leaves bore holes from where the rain fell so hard. Iruka sat in the back of a cave, warming his hands by the small fire and listening to the catastrophe outside. He was the only one in the villages' emergency shelter. That fact somehow made his heart sink. No one had listened and by the sound of the wind and the rain outside, Iruka feared that villagers' inability to listen to the warning may well have cost them their lives._

Iruka frowned at the memory of the days after the storm and his hike back down to the village to witness the damage. It had astounded him.

_Houses were flattened, corpses hanging from branches where the wind had thrown them or laying on the ground mouths full of water from the unrelenting rain that had drown them. The few that survived moved away the debris, searching for anything salvageable. _

"_I warned them." Somehow that didn't comfort the little man as well as he hoped it would. _

"_YOU!!! You did this to us!!! This was your fault." Someone yelled as they caught sight of the virtually unscathed man. _

"_Yea, you cursed us!"_

"_Witch!! You commune with beasts and curse our village with storms!!!"_

_Pieces of debris were soon pelting toward the little man. Sticks, stones and even the pitiful corpses of little animals. _

"_Get out of our village. We'll kill you next time we see you here, WITCH!"_

_Before poor Iruka could even get a word out to plea in his defense, one last villager threw a stick. Unfortunately for Iruka, the man had thrown it like a spear. _

_Its sharp tip slashed Iruka across the face, leaving a line of fire prickling with wooden splinters. _

_Iruka ran and the villager went back to picking the dead from the rubble. _

Fingers lightly traced the scar that marked the stick's slash. The thing hadn't healed right because of the infection caused by the little splinters left in the wound itself. Now it was just another one of the unique features of Iruka Umino.

He found it funny that the villagers hated him for his strange ability to converse with animals, dolphins in particular, and yet he did not miss the company of humans.

Coming to his tree house, Iruka climbed the familiar boughs up to the platform high in the thick interwoven branches. The house was his pride and joy, being build entirely by his own hands and nature. The platform consisted of several logs all bound together and covered by a huge palm branches all layered to make the roof. Various shells were piled in one corner, each with it's own use. There wasn't a great need for walls in the tree house for the closely woven branches surrounding the platform kept most of the foul weather out and there weren't any people from whom Iruka needed privacy.

Looking at a space between branches, he peered out at the ocean. Sharp whistles echoed across the calm surface of the ocean. The floating thing was closer; it had lowered something small onto the ocean. The small thing appeared to be some kind of raft that the people rowed close to the island.

_Maybe I should see what they're up to. Then I make a decision whether or not to tell the Rain Village. That is if they'll even listen to me. _

He sighed. Grabbing his hunting knife, he bounded down the tree, running at top speed back to the beach. By the time he arrived, the raft had reached the shore allowing the people to disembark. Iruka quickly dove behind a bush, delving deep into its foliage. The leaves effectively hid the man as he spied upon the newcomers.

They were definitely not from around the island. Their clothes were strangely cut and made of different material, covering most of their bodies. Several fell to the ground hugging the sand as if happy to have their feet back upon the ground. One stood a little off from the others, looking about him in amazement.

The one standing apart caught Iruka's eye. This one was tall and slender with pure silver hair like that of some ancient sage, but the man was young, perhaps only a few years older than Iruka himself. The bleached colour of his skin was unlike any the island man had seen before. He glanced down upon his own skin, conscious of its golden tan.

_It's so different_. Shaking himself out of his daze, Iruka continued to study the silver haired man. _He's very handsome. I bet that face haunts the females of his land. _So immersed in the study of the silver haired man, Iruka didn't even notice his own situation.

Hands grabbed him, pulling him from the bushes. Two men stared down at the strange thing they had found in the bushes. Instinctively Iruka began to fight using tooth, nail and foot, striking whatever he could. However his struggling only made the captors grasp him more tightly. Their hands countered every move, every attempt to free himself from their grasp.

"Get off!" He cried. The silver haired man had turned to face the struggle, watching with dark grey eyes. Then he raised his hand in some imperious gesture.

"Stop. Put that man down, he doesn't appear to be very dangerous." Said the silver haired man.

The hands released their grip, allowing Iruka to pull away from them. Though he was happy to be free, the "doesn't appear to be very dangerous" had struck a sore spot in him. _I'm very dangerous._ He thought indignantly. _I just don't feel like kicking your ass that's all. _

The silver haired man came over to him, offering a hand in what Iruka recognized as a greeting. "My name is Kakashi. Who are you?" He smiled.

Looking down upon the pale hand outstretched toward him, Iruka nodded and took the hand. "I am Iruka."


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, I know I promised this a LONG time ago, but for some reason I didn't like the first five versions of CHapter two. SO I rewrote it...again. I'm sorry it's so short, but I was really straining to make at least make it 1000 words. Other than that, I really hope you enjoy it.

Once again, this story contains malexmale, if you do not approve of the pairing then, please, at least be courteous.

And THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to review. It really made me feel better about my writing. THANKS!!

--SemperVenice

* * *

Previously

The silver haired man came over to him, offering a hand in what Iruka recognized as a greeting. "My name is Kakashi. Who are you?" He smiled.

Looking down upon the pale hand outstretched toward him, Iruka nodded and took the hand.

"I am Iruka."

CHAPTER TWO

"Iruka? That's a strange name." Kakashi mused trying out the foreign name on his tongue.

The exotic little man in front of him narrowed his eyes. "No stranger than Kakashi." Came the tart retort. The deep brown eyes glinted in a kind of satisfaction, having suitably insulted the prince. The prior remarks about Iruka's "deadliness" had struck a sour spot in the little tan man. It seemed only fair that he should try to give as good as he got.

A small chortle came from Kakashi's left. The young prince almost rolled his eyes. No one else would dare laugh, except… Obito.

One glance to his left confirmed Kakashi's suspicion. Obito stood, wearing a completely innocence face which left no doubt to his guilt. This odd red eyes glinted with unconcealed mirth, just daring his royal best friend to say something.

The two had been practically raised together; Obito coming from a prominent and powerful Noble House while Kakashi, of course, was the heir to the throne. All Kakashi's earliest memories had Obito in them. Obito was a staple in life, just like Aunt Tsunade, Duke Jiraiya and Sensei. Through thick and thin, the two boys had been there for each other; they had grown so close that mere glance could translate into words between the boys; words no longer necessary. And with the respect of Kakashi's station long gone from his mind, Obito always saw it as his mission to personally take advantage of being the Prince's best friend. In other words, he was the only one allowed to make a fool of Kakashi and get away with it.

_Laugh it up, Obito. I won't forget this._ Kakashi threatened with his eyes, giving the still smiling man an intense glare.

Obito kept grinning, translating the death glare and replying back with his own look of bubbling mischief. _Threatening me? Don't you have better things to do? Like take care of your sour little native?_

Kakashi swept his gaze back to the figure kneeling upon the sand.

"Hmm, what to do with you." He mused aloud.

The figure before him twitched as if expecting the worst to happen, but the tiny movement did nothing more than focus Kakashi's attention upon the exotic man.

The man did not look very tall, or at least not nearly so tall as Kakashi, however, until the man stood, Kakashi couldn't be certain. Golden tan skin like no other Kakashi had seen in his travel stretched tautly over the slender musculature. The chocolate hair pulled into a long ponytail, matched the deep doe like eyes that stared worriedly up at their captors.

_At first glance, I would have called Iruka a girl, but—_Kakashi glanced at the naked chest laid bare by the linen loincloth, attesting to the fact that Iruka was in fact, _male._

The thought made Kakashi wrinkle his nose.

_Back to my original problem. What should I do with him?_ The possibility of setting the exotic man free was close to never happening. If Iruka were to be set free, the exotic little man could warn this fellow natives of intruders upon the island, and though Kakashi and his party had no intentions of harming the natives. Yet the man had done nothing to warrant any ill treatment. _But still, I can't afford to have hostile natives breathing down my neck because some little native tattled. I guess I could…_

"Tie him up for now." Kakashi ordered the men standing on either side of Iruka. "We can't risk him summoning the wrath of the natives down upon us."

The two men nodded, one immediately reaching for the rope hanging from his side satchel.

Deep doe like eyes widened, their look almost pleading, yet too proud to plead.

_This isn't good. I was hoping they'd decide that I posed them no threat and let me go. _

Iruka saw movement in his peripheral vision. Seconds later, strong hands clasped his wrists, pulling them back. Iruka struggled out of instinct. The touch wasn't rough, truthfully the hands attempting to tie his own, were gentle. However the thought of being bound among strangers did not appeal to the exotic man. His pride—not to mention his sense of survival—would not allow Iruka to allow it.

_Bound hands bad, freedom nice. _Iruka repeated in his head, hoping that the silent litany would sprout some idea on how to avoid his binding.

_He said he doesn't want hostile natives…well that could work to my advantage._

"They'll come looking for me. They already know you're here." The lie just popped out of his mouth. _Too late to take it back now, hopefully he'll believe it. Then I can get myself out of this mess. _

The hands tying his stopped as the man looked to his prince. Kakashi frowned, motioning for his man to step away, leaving Iruka's hands half unbound.

"What do you mean?" He knelt in front of his would-be-captive.

_Oh uh…_"I mean that if I don't return, they will come looking for me." Iruka looked straight into deep grey eyes, hoping that he could somehow convince the prince. Those staring eyes gave nothing away.

"They will come looking for you? Are you that important to them?" Grey eyes narrowed. "It seems foolish to send someone so valuable on such an expendable mission." He commented coolly.

_Important? Hardly. Honestly, I think if the villagers knew my situation they'd leave me to die._ "I was chosen for my skills."

A twitch at the corner of Kakashi's mouth. "Of course."

The look on the young prince's face clearly showed his disbelief.

"If my people find me bound, they will consider you hostile and act accordingly." Iruka saw Kakashi frown further.

A few feet away, Obito surveyed the exchange. _For a native, this Iruka speaks very well. Obviously travelers have been here before us. Wonder if they happened upon the same problems. _

Kakashi and Iruka sat looking at each other; one deciding on their course of action while the other awaited some kind of judgment.

After a moment, Kakashi chuckled and stood. "Alright, I won't bind you, but you're not leaving my sight either."

"But—"

"You will stay with my exploration party. In the event that we meet your people you can help us assure them of our pure intentions. So, I can't let you go just yet."

Iruka nodded, undoing the half tied rope that somewhat bound his hand. In just a few seconds he stood, hands free.

Iruka laughed silently._ I seriously doubt that having me around would get you any good graces from my people. The way they treat me, my very presence could be deadly. _

_"_Fine. I shall not leave your sight." Iruka agreed.

_I'm running away the first chance I get._

Kakashi nodded and turned away.

_He's running away the first chance he gets._

* * *

OK, so what do you think... be truthful(but in a nice way. :-P). Was it awful? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the delay... real life got in the way, well that and writer's block. But I'm happy to tell you my creative juices are flowing...and I can't seem to turn them off..... So read this and tell me what cha think. GOOD? BAD? UGLY? Does it need something? Let me know. :-)

Hey, did I mention what I rewrote the first chapter? There are a lot of extra things in there now.

* * *

Chapter 3

"Fine. I shall not leave your sight." Iruka agreed.

_I'm running away the first chance I get._

Kakashi nodded and turned away.

_He's running away the first chance he gets._

********~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~*********

All the sailors bustled around the beach, stuffing satchels with provisions, and gathering various other materials for their venture into the jungle. Kakashi stood surveying his men's progress. He hoped to be ready to explore in about an hour if not sooner.

The wind blew across the beach, throwing tiny grains of sand into Kakashi's eyes. The little grains of sand scratched the delicate film of the eye, forcing him to turn his head. As he did so, he became aware of the little island man sitting close to him. Bound and placed out of the busy crew's way, Iruka's posture seemed defiant of his captors, no matter how friendly they acted. A dusky pink mouth frowned, but Kakashi couldn't care less. Sooner or later, Iruka would come to realize that everything was alright and there would be no reason to frown. _He'll have his freedom once I get my tour of the island._

No longer interested in the little man, Kakashi walked over to where Obito sat packing supplies. Items lay all strung around the Prince's best friend; a coil of rope, various tools and to Kakashi's amusement, a small stuffed animal whose mangled appearance was that of a pug.

"You still have that old thing?" Kakashi sat down next to his friend.

Obito flushed red. "It's a good luck charm." He hurriedly stuffed it in the bag along with all the other supplies.

"I'm surprised you haven't lost that thing with all the adventures we've been on." Kakashi tried to extract the stuffed animal from the pack but hands swatted him away from the precious object.

"I'd never lose Pakkun! He's my good luck pug, besides," Obito muttered, "some royal brat gave him to me a long time ago. I think he'd have my head if I lost such a _royal_ gift."

Simply smiling, the Prince made another attempt to get another peek at the stuffed animal. "The only reason I gave it to you was because you were such a crybaby. Pakkun was the only thing that would shut you up."

Again Obito swatted his hands and finally Kakashi relented, allowing his friend to continue packing.

As if someone had completely altered his cheerful personality, Kakashi sudden spoke in a serious tone. "What's our supply status?"

The change in his friend's mood didn't shock Obito the way it used to. Kakashi was known to drastically change moods in lightning quick intervals, but it wasn't that he was unbalanced (_Well, maybe a little,_ Obito privately admitted), rather that Kakashi always hid himself away behind false masks of cheer. It confused the hell out of everyone, which could have been his friend's aim. However Obito took the moods in stride, reacting with the necessary response.

"We're running a little low on food." Obito told him. "It would be a smart idea to grab some from the jungle while we explore."

The Prince nodded. "Make sure you bring some of the botanists. We don't want a repeat of that island in the east."

"I don't think that's really necessary," Obito caught a glimpse of Kakashi's doubtfully raised eyebrow, "After all we do have a native. He'd be a lot more help than the botanists. What I mean is, there could be plants that haven't been discovered yet on this island and we could unknowingly pick another poisonous one. So wouldn't it be better to have someone who knows if a plant is dangerous or not?"

"Yes, I understand that but I don't entirely trust our little native. Therefore we're bringing a few botanists for extra caution."

Obito bowed his head to his Prince, who leaned back onto the sand, resting his head on his arms. "Hopefully we'll find some animals too. I'm rather tired of being a vegetables and fruit right now."

********~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~~~*********

Iruka sat on the sand, his hands and feet bound, waiting for something to happen but so far the sailors were all going about their business, too busy to pay attention to the little island man.

_I suppose there's little reason for them to watch me. After all I'm bound hand and foot in the middle of their activity, there's no way I could escape without being seen. I'll make getaway somehow. _

The sailors were now starting to organize into two groups, most likely into groups of those exploring the jungle and those staying behind to keep watch.

Footsteps muffled by the sand approached from behind him. The ropes around his feet were cut and hands hauled him up to be face to face with Obito and Kakashi.

"Ready to go?" Obito asked him.

"You ask as though I have a choice in the matter." The little native replied calmly.

It seemed as though Obito was about to speak, but a wave of Kakashi's hand silenced him. "Let's get going. I'd rather not waste my time on trivial matters."

With that he turned away, walking toward the jungle. Iruka looked to Obito who just shrugged his shoulders and beckoned the exploration party to follow.

*********~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~*********

Under the great canopy of exotic trees the air was surprisingly cool, yet the air was very wet compared to the clean dry air of the beach. Strange bird calls sounded from every direction and life of every shape and size thrived everywhere. The trees stood tall, growing straight into the sky with thick branches creating a labyrinthine layer above the explorer's heads as they journeyed into the new environment. Rope-like vines covered in flowers and green vegetation hung from tree limb creating curtains of nature.

In all the places he had visited before, Kakashi had never seen so many different colors in one place at one time. Flowers were strung everywhere along with fruits of every shape and size, speckling the ground and trees with every color of the rainbow.

_This is a paradise. _

"Are these safe to eat?" He asked Iruka. The little native had been silent ever since leaving the seashore, walking reluctantly beside his captor. However at Kakashi's question, some semblance of life came back into those eyes as he looked toward the Prince's pointed finger.

The fruit in question was deep red in color and grew upon a small fuzzy-looking tree. Iruka studied it for a moment. "It's safe." He replied tersely.

After studying the native for any sign of deceit Kakashi nodded then turned to his men. "Collect some of those. They'll serve as dinner tonight."

Four men obediently went over to the tree in order to harvest the fruit. Though the tree was smaller than the other giants of the jungle, it still towered over the men and had few branches low to the ground. The men stood thinking how best to collect the fruit when Obito took the matter out of their hands.

"This might be helpful." He proffered them the rope from his pack.

Taking the rope, the men quickly set about trying to loop it around the lowest branch. After several attempts the rope was secure enough to climb but the men chosen for the task could not pull themselves up the rope.

Obito chuckled as Kakashi rolled his eyes. "From now on I'm going to institute a training session whenever we're sailing. They've forgotten how to climb a damn tree."

The sound of falling bodies occasionally sounded in the air as the men elected for the task failed miserably. Unable to watch the failure any longer, Prince Kakashi himself took over the task.

Grasping the rope in both hands, he pulled himself up the rope. It wasn't so bad, almost like climbing to the crow's nest on his ship. Repeated hand over hand movements finally brought him to the lowest branch within reach. Victory would be in his grasp as soon as his hand wrapped around the branch. His hold upon the rope was slipping, the one hand having a harder time trying to hold up his body weight while the other desperately reached for the branch. Forcing the rope to swing in a pendulum-like movement, Kakashi felt a rush of triumph when his hand finally slapped over the branch. He felt triumph… and surprisingly a lot of pain.

_What?!?!_ Was all the prince could think before his ass hit the ground. His mind hadn't even registered the fall. Obito rushed over to him, worry and alarm written all over his face. _How'd he get in the tree with me? Huh… OOOHHHH… I'm on the ground. What the Hell?_

"Are you all right?" Obito asked as he ran his eyes over the bedazzled figure. Blue-grey eyes just looked blankly at him.

"I think so—" The throbbing in his hand beat a little harder now. Curious to the cause, Kakashi brought the suffering appendage before him. A wicked looking thorn about an inch and a half long and as thick as a pen had impaled his hand in the meaty part of his palm. He would have just pulled the damn thing out but the hook shaped prickles at the end of the thorn discouraged that idea.

A chuckle reached Kakashi's well-trained ear. Someone thought his pain was funny. Looking around the prince frowned, wondering who would dare laugh at him. Sure Obito was allowed to laugh but the man was just too busy to laugh at the moment; he was trying to figure out how to get the thorn of out his friend's hand. So who else would dare laugh? A glance at his captive gave him the answer.

"I thought you said the fruit was safe."

Iruka merely smirked. "The fruit _is _safe. The _tree, _however, requires a little more caution." Another chuckled flooded from his lips. The sight of his captor falling from the branch made some sick happiness bubble up inside him. Something urged him to point and say "Ha Ha." In any case, Kakashi's humiliation soothed the little native's rebellious side.

A small tug sent a stab of pain through the prince's hand. Obito was steadily moving the thorn about, thinking about how best to remove it. Blood trickled around the thorn slowly dripping down to pool in the pale palm.

"Stop moving it." Obito removed his hands as Kakashi grimaced.

"Well how am I supposed to get this out if I can assess the wound?" The young man tried to touch the thorn impaling his friend's hand but the appendage was quickly snatched from his grasp.

"Assess with your eyes!" Kakashi told him, holding his hand to his chest.

Again Obito tried to look at the wound but Kakashi kept his hand away, examining it himself while his friend continued to make attempts at the hand. Finally Iruka spoke up with irritation. "Will you stop acting like children!!"

The struggle over the hand stopped as the two _grown _men stared at the little native as if he had grown two heads.

"What do you propose we do?" Kakashi asked. The throbbing of his hand was bearable but uncomfortable at the same time.

"Untie my hands and I'll remove the thorn." Iruka held up his bound hands. "I have a feeling that if you lot tried to remove the thing you would end up damaging the hand more." His brown eyes swept over them, as if begging them to accept his help.

But those brown eyes wouldn't fool Kakashi. "How do I know you'll really help me? After all you were _so _helpful with the tree."

The slender brown shoulders simply shrugged. "Because I'm surrounded by your men. Don't you think they'd kill me before I did anything to you?"

Iruka's words didn't reassure the prince at all. He had seen the look in Iruka's eyes at the beach and some innate feeling told him the native's only concern was escape. Once his hands were unbound, the little man would run, leaving them without a guide and possibly facing some angry natives.

Looking between the two, Obito rolled his eyes. "Well unless you want to keep the thorn as a souvenir…" Pulling out his knife, he quickly cut the rope binding Iruka's hands. Relief flooded through the veins in the little man's wrists, flowing to the very tips of his fingers, returning all the sensation in tiny pinpricks. Smiling, he nodded his thanks to Obito then proceeded over to Kakashi.

Kneeling down, he gently took the injured hand. Kakashi watched the man examining his hand.

_His hands are so different from mine. _The pale skin of Kakashi's hand could be easily discerned from the smaller man's golden flesh. If Kakashi had reached could have easily held both of Iruka's golden hands in his larger one. In fact everything about the native was smaller. Kakashi allowed himself a perverse chuckle in his thoughts. _Everything…?_

"May I borrow your knife?" Kakashi nodded, feeling a small hand pull it from the sheath on his belt. Holding Kakashi's hand steady, Iruka positioned the knife just below the wickedly thick hooks on the end of the thorn. In a single movement, the hooked end hand been cleanly cut and with an extra yank the thorn removed from Kakashi's palm. Blood welled out following the thorn's removal.

Iruka glanced around him then spotting a small plant near to the ground, plucked a few leaves to place upon the wound. A cool, numbing sensation entered the wound at the leaves' application.

"You may wrap it now." Iruka told Obito, rising from his knees. Bandages appeared from the man's extensive pack and he quickly set about winding his friend's hand.

_This is my chance. _Iruka thought. He carefully inched further and further away from the center of the group, hoping to sneak out of the groups' reach before they noticed anything. He had just made it to the outer ring of the group; freedom was within his reach.

"Where do you think you're headed?" Kakashi asked from behind him. Obito completed wrapping the injured hand and now the prince stood watching his captive.

Iruka didn't reply, instead he ran.

The vegetation of the jungle floor whooshed past him as he ran. Shouting and the sound of heavy feet crackling against the ground alerted him of his pursuers. However he couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop. His breathing came rapidly as the moist air didn't convey the necessary oxygen to his lungs.

_Keep running._

********~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~********

Obito kept running. The others had fanned out, all hoping to cut the escapee off somehow. Up ahead he could just glimpse the golden skinned Iruka.

_Kakashi will be super pissed if he gets away. _He told himself as if the thought of an angry Kakashi would make him run faster. It did.

Iruka was closer now. A few more feet and the chase would be over. Obito pushed himself to speed up. He was gaining on Iruka. He ran so fast it felt like gliding. At least until his feet went through something mushy.

Suddenly he was up to his knees in a mixture of sand and water. Lifting his foot made the mixture pull harder, sinking deeper. The more he struggled, the more the sand squelched around him, pulling deeper until he was almost waist deep.

Panic started to roll in. His mind fought as furiously as his body, but to no avail.

"HELP!!" He yelled. He struggled harder and sank more.

A soft rustling caught his attention.

There just a few feet away Iruka stood watching his struggles.

---------------To Be Continued--------------------------

OK, I had to leave you on a cliffhanger. Be proud because I think it's my first one. :-O (sigh) Now I should really finish studying for my Psych Exam today…. (ugh) but I just had to finish this. I know it's a god awful chapter but I think I actually know where I'm going to go with this story. I made an outline and everything. However please feel free to criticize this badly written chapter, it started out as one scene and somehow got all this other stuff mashed into it. Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW. I'll need something to cheer me up after my exam. 


	4. Chapter 4

OK, soooo please don't hit me.... I know I haven't posted in a VERY VERY VERY long time... but real-life has finally calmed down. Everything's starting to speed up... last year of university. :-O NOOOOOO!!! Hee hee. So I might not get ton update very quickly (2 study abroads this semester... Iceland and Spain. :-D ). So if I don't update for awhile.... sorry... Anyways, I think this chapter was a little rushed towards the end; It's basically been sitting unfinished on my computer since September....*please don't hit*. But now I'm snowed it so I have plenty of time to work on it.... even though I should be writing my Spanish composition..... Procrastination.... :-)

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR

* * *

Obito kept running. The others had fanned out, all hoping to cut the escapee off somehow. Up ahead he could just glimpse the golden skinned Iruka.

'_Kakashi will be super pissed if he gets away'. _He told himself as if the thought of an angry Kakashi would make him run faster. It did.

Iruka was closer now. A few more feet and the chase would be over. Obito pushed himself to speed up. He was gaining on Iruka. He ran so fast it felt like gliding. At least until his feet went through something mushy.

Suddenly he was up to his knees in a mixture of sand and water. Lifting his foot made the mixture pull harder, sinking deeper. The more he struggled, the more the sand squelched around him, pulling deeper until he was almost waist deep.

Panic started to roll in. His mind fought as furiously as his body, but to no avail.

"HELP!!" He yelled. He struggled harder, but sank further.

A soft rustling caught his attention.

There just a few feet away Iruka stood watching his struggles.

* * *

His struggles got more violent as Obito sank deeper. It didn't take long for the sand to reach his neck. He tried kicking his legs as if to swim but his body below the sand would not move from the sand's concrete grip. All that remained free was his head and a single arm. Panic thumped frantically in his chest, his heart pushing at the ribs. '_Someone help me'._

"Help." The hopeless word escaped his mouth. No one came to help. His eyes stared pleadingly at the one figure that could aid him.

Iruka stood staring down at the struggling Obito. He had not moved a muscle since Obito had called for help. The only sign that he acknowledged the struggling man's predicament was the frown that donned his lips.

The panic pounded even faster in Obito's chest. It unnerved him that someone could stand aside, watching another die. After all, Obito had treated the captive kindly, and he'd even spoke on his behalf and this is how he's repaid? He looked around him, hoping to find some miracle. _A vine or something, anything!!! _ Taking a breath was getting harder with the quicksand pulling him down; it packed around his chest, prohibiting the movements needed to draw breath.

Waving his arm, he attempted to swim up. It did nothing. "I'm going to die." He whispered.

"Oh shut up and stop struggling." Came a voice from above him.

Grinning down from a tree branch overhead was not other than Iruka. Obito glanced back to where Iruka used to be on the ground.

"How—"

"I climbed up here. Now grab on."

A vine dangled down from Iruka's hands, and Obito immediately grabbed it. The panic receded from his chest; he wasn't going to die after all.

* * *

Iruka lowered the vine slowly, taking great care to put it within the struggling man's reach. Inch by inch he lowered it. Below him the waving arm grasped its salvation.

A glitter of relieved tears shone in Obito's eyes, which made a sense of guilt flutter through the little native. Though he had no intentions of letting Obito die, his spiteful mind thought to let the man suffer a little. So he had stood, simply watching the man's struggles. Obito had sunk faster than he expected due to all the movement.

Iruka mentally hit himself over the head. '_How could I be so cruel? He did nothing to me except injure my pride a little. And it wasn't actually him that did the deed! How could I have thought to leave this man to die when the person I'm truly angry at is not around? _The frown upon his face deepened. _I was truly cruel'. _

Placing his feet steadily on the trunk of the tree, the little man braced himself, tugging on the vine with all his might. To no avail. He didn't have enough weight behind him in order to lift Obito's muscled mass from the quicksand. However, Obito was no longer sinking as the taunt vine kept the man just above the quicksand's surface.

'_Should I try harder? I need to get away while I still can, but… I can't just leave him here. He'll sink. If I tie the vine to the tree, Obito would stay afloat until his companions rescue him and still make my getaway'. _

Iruka pulled harder on the vine, looking around for something to tie it to.

"OBITO!!" Kakashi burst through the underbrush, hurrying to his friend's side.

"Stop!!" Iruka called down to him. It wouldn't serve for Kakashi to fall into the quicksand with Obito. The silver-haired prince stopped just in time. His left boot began to sink in the perilous mixture, quickly snatched out before the quicksand could take a deadly grip. Blue-grey eyes flicked up to the figure in the tree. They took in the whole situation coolly, the mind behind them racing to solutions.

"Hand me the end of the vine." He called up to the native. "I'll help you pull him out."

Hesitant, Iruka looked down at him and finally relented. The silver-haired prince caught the vine thrown to him, instantly wrapping it around his hand for a better grip. The visible ripple of taut muscles in his arms signaled for Iruka to start pulling as well. Even with both their strength combined, pulling Obito out of the quicksand was no easy task.

The mixture still pulled at his feet, but slowly the rest of Obito's body cleared the quicksand pit. Tears welled in his eyes as relief poured into his heart and a shudder ran through him at how close he had come to drowning under the sand-water mix. Another shudder ran down his spine imagining his lungs filling with thick, gritty liquid. With a sickening squelch he popped out of the quicksand, swinging in the air as Iruka tried to manipulate the vine from above.

Between the two of them, the prince and the native managed to get the terrified man to solid ground. He gave a shuddering sob of relief and collapsed, hugging the ground; thankful it was solid and dry instead of slimy and wet. Kakashi's hands supported his friend, patting him in reassurance.

"You're alright. Stop crying, crybaby." He whispered amiably. The childhood nickname stifled the tears, leaving Obito to glare.

"I almost died you know!"

Kakashi shrugged, "Honestly, do you think I'd let you die here, so far away from home? If you died, I would have to learn some black magic in order to bring you back, crybaby." It wouldn't do to let Obito see how much the incident in the quicksand frightened him. Jokes made everything better; they hid everything behind a smile.

Honestly, he couldn't imagine a life without Obito. A life without a crybaby to keep him sane in this world of politics, double messages and death... What kind of a life would that be? Despite his faults (many as there are), Obito was the one person he could trust completely. Those crybaby tears were honest tears, and the sporadic emotions were all honest emotions, true reactions to the way of the world. No one in the world could replace the crybaby, then again who would want to?

A flash of tan glinted in the corner of Kakashi's eye. He sighed and jumped after the fleeing native. A white hand caught a golden ankle, sending both bodies falling. Iruka twisted in his captor's grasp. That pale hand had trapped him more effectively than any rope or quicksand ever could, its grip unwavering despite the gold flailing limbs.

"Where do you think you're going?" came that voice. That tight grip wouldn't budge; the skin underneath already began to bruise.

"Your friend is free. I no longer wish to be a prisoner."

Grey eyes blinked. "Prisoner? Why would I punish you for saving my friend?" Kakashi loosened his grip, allowing the golden man to pull away.

"Call it instinct." Light bruises bled through the handprint on his wrist. Iruka rubbed his hand over them, massaging the flesh. He avoided looking into the other man's eyes even as it became clear the prince wanted his full attention.

Kakashi bent his head every which-a-way trying to gain the little native's gaze. However their eyes did not meet. "Little Ireka, I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Suddenly, brown eyes flashed and the small mouth frowned. "Iruka."

"Huh?" Kakashi cocked his head. "What?"

"Iruka, my name is Iruka not Ireka. If you're going to attempt politeness, the least you can do is remember my name." Iruka's face frowned at him, the golden features almost pouting.

The prince nearly laughed at the little native's frowning face, but since that wouldn't have been very polite he quickly bowed his apology. "Then please forgive me, _Iruka._ But as I was saying, I owe you something for rescuing Obito."

'_I'd gladly give the world for Obito, but let's just hope this little native is too modest to ask for that'. _He watched as the brown frown turned into confusion. A glance to the side showed him that Obito had mostly recovered from his near death experience.

Doe-like eyes narrowed in thought. "Whatever I ask for…you will grant it to me?" The deal sounded too good to be true. So far his experiences with the newcomers left much to be desired. Was this a cruel joke?

He chewed his lip with indecision. But if it wasn't a joke what could he possibly ask for? Nothing they could give him would take away his problems… '_Wait, take away? Take away!! That's it'._

Iruka raised his head, looking the prince directly in the eyes, almost startling him with the sudden intensity of his gaze. "Take me with you."

Grey eyes blinked. "Done."


End file.
